This invention relates broadly to a protective arrangement for insulated building foundations and, more particularly, pertains to improvements in the construction and attachment of such protective arrangement.
Building foundations formed of cement block or poured concrete are typically waterproofed and insulated such as with foam on their exterior surfaces below and above the final grade. A successful insulator for building foundations must be a shielded installation which is capable of withstanding a range of various destructive forces over a long period of time. Such destructive forces include solar degradation caused by direct exposure to the sun, chemical agents above and below the ground and mechanical forces such as caused by a weed wacker or other lawn maintenance equipment used on the grass covering the grade.
The prior art is replete with numerous designs for protective coverings comprised of plastic, aluminum, metal, cement, stucco, fiber glass and the like which are joined to the building insulation. However, present practice involves adhesively coating the protective covering to the exterior surface of the insulation on site and then further securing the protective covering with some type of mechanical fastener. Such practice is extremely labor-intensive and can be difficult to carry out given the temperature and environmental conditions at the time of installation. Existing protective coverings have also been lacking in withstanding the myriad of destructive forces subjected upon them over long periods of time.
Accordingly, there remains a need to provide a differently styled protective arrangement for building insulation having an enhanced construction which may be easily and reliably applied to a variety of insulating and building materials without mechanical fasteners. Such arrangement should be fabricated to safeguard the insulation from ultraviolet (U.V.) rays of the sun, protect against shrinking, cracking and denting, and to resist moisture as well as any other agents in the ground. In addition, such protective arrangement should be flexible and long lasting, have a high degree of elasticity and be able to tolerate a wide range of temperatures.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a protective arrangement for an insulated building foundation which will withstand the destructive forces to which it will be exposed for long periods of time without degradation.
It is one object of the present invention to provide a waterproof, rubberized asphalt polymer, U.V. protectant for building insulation foam exposed to the sun.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a conveniently installed, layered, foam protectant comprised of a ter polymer acrylic resin, a meshed reinforcement and a self-adhesive asphalt membrane with a release film attached thereto.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an insulation protectant for new and existing building constructions.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a foam protectant which is low cost to manufacture and economical, convenient and versatile in its many uses.
In one aspect of the invention, an insulated building foundation protective arrangement includes a multi-layer reinforced waterproof, rubberized asphalt, U.V. resistant laminate having a self-adhesive backing attachable to an insulated building foundation without any other mechanical fasteners. The laminate is constructed and arranged in the form of a flexible roll. The insulated building foundation includes a layer of foam attachable to a concrete foundation. The laminate includes a face portion covering an outer and upper surface of the foam, and a flap portion attachable to a top edge of the concrete foundation. The foam is formed at an upper end with a downwardly and outwardly angled surface and a top flat edge for leading water away from the building foundation. In one alternative embodiment, the insulated building foundation includes foam block structure filled internally with poured concrete.
In another aspect of the invention, an insulated building foundation protective arrangement includes a first layer having an elastomeric, waterproof, ultraviolet resistant coating. A second layer has a reinforced mesh material joined to the first layer. A third layer has a rubberized asphalt membrane carrying a self-adhesive coating thereon, a third layer being attached to the second layer. A fourth layer has a release film removably attached to the third layer. The interconnected first, second, third and fourth layers are connected to an insulated building foundation by removal of the release film and adherence via the self-adhesive coating. The building foundation includes a layer of expanded/extruded polystyrene. The first layer is preferably formed of a ter polymer acrylic resin having a textured surface. The second layer includes a mesh fabricated from fiberglass, cloth or vinyl.